V&A East is calling on young creatives, community thinkers, and cultural enthusiasts aged 16 to 24 living in the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest to step forward and help shape the future of its pioneering museum spaces. Applications for the next cohort of the V&A East Youth Collective are set to open on Friday, October 16, 2026, offering a unique opportunity for local youth to directly influence how the institution connects with its surrounding communities.
The initiative invites young people to address a fundamental question: what should a museum and collections space look, feel, and sound like for the younger generation in East London? To find out, V&A East is building a diverse team of curious and passionate participants who will work collaboratively alongside the museum’s internal staff and a group of commissioned practitioners. The project aims to ensure that both the V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse remain welcoming, inspiring, and deeply relevant spaces for young East Londoners.
The Youth Collective programme represents a core commitment to co-production, operating on the principle of a mutual learning exchange between participants, visiting practitioners, and the cultural institution itself. Over an intensive eight-month journey running from January through August 2027, the selected group of 12 young people will take part in a series of creative workshops, museum visits, and collaborative sessions. The curriculum is designed to expand upon critical themes established by previous cohorts—ranging from identity, memory, and belonging to place, access, and decolonisation.
A central focus of the upcoming programme will be exploring how V&A East can meaningfully embed creative wellbeing and holistic care for young audiences within its physical and conceptual spaces. This collaborative exploration will culminate in the production of a tangible creative output, which will be made publicly available to museum visitors and the wider community. Because the programme is tailored directly to the interests and evolving needs of its participants, the exact trajectory of the project will continue to be shaped by the voices and ideas of the young people involved.
Participants will commit to attending 16 evening meetings held bi-weekly on Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in person across East London, beginning with the first session on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at the V&A East Storehouse. In addition to these regular evening sessions, the programme will feature occasional weekend activities, immersive museum days, and off-site trips designed to foster creative skills, expand professional networks, and provide valuable insight into careers within the broader cultural and creative sector.
The initiative arrives as V&A East establishes itself as a dynamic, two-part cultural destination rooted in the rich heritage and contemporary culture of East London. Created as a new branch of the renowned Victoria and Albert Museum, the organisation is dedicated to celebrating making, fostering critical learning through hands-on creation, and amplifying the voices that drive modern culture.
The V&A East Museum, located in Stratford, is designed to celebrate the transformative power of creativity and making. Conceived in close collaboration with young people, the museum explores the forces shaping our contemporary world by centering the perspectives of East London’s vibrant communities. Meanwhile, the nearby V&A East Storehouse, situated close to the Stratford Waterfront, offers unprecedented public access to over half a million creative works and historical collection objects. Featuring large-scale collection items and carefully curated displays, the Storehouse invites visitors to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of stories and narratives with broad public relevance.
To help prospective applicants learn more about the initiative before the application window closes, V&A East is hosting a free public event on Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the V&A East Storehouse. Attendees will have the chance to hear directly from alumni of previous V&A East youth engagement programmes and visiting practitioners. The afternoon will feature networking opportunities, hands-on risograph printing workshops, short film screenings, and engaging panel discussions.
Applications for the new cohort will go live online on Friday, October 16, 2026, with further details regarding the commissioned practitioners leading the project published on the same day. The deadline to submit applications is Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm. Applicants must reside in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest, fall within the 16 to 24 age bracket, and hold the legal right to work in the UK in order to receive payment for their participation. Anyone with questions about the programme or the application process can reach out directly to the engagement team via email at [email protected].